Noctre Aeternam
by MistressofSeven77
Summary: Natalie Rushman is a young mage who can summon the Heroes of the Marvel Multiverse. Carol Ferris is another young mage, capable of summon the Heroes of the DC Multiverse. Both of these young girls become guild mages, and their adventures begin. However, dark figures lay within the shadows, and the two may be more important to the universe than either of them ever realized...
1. Chapter 1: First Encounter

hapter 1: First Encounter

"Hmmm… What to get for dinner tonight…"

A young girl with long, red hair, and emerald green eyes, wearing a black sleeveless vest that looked almost military-like over a dark blue long-sleeved shirt that had a strange symbol on either shoulder, black bands around her wrists, a black leather belt around her waist (underneath her vest and shirt) that was holding a large key ring that had strange keys on it, a black backpack that only had one strap that wrapped around her body, dark blue jeans, and black, knee-high leather boots was walking through a small store, holding a small basket that was quite full. She was looking at potential dinner options while walking along, idly muttering to herself-

 _WHAM!_

"Ow!"

"Whoa!"

She soon found herself on her rear, knocked to the floor. She rubbed her head, and looked up to see a young man with arguably the strangest cat she'd ever seen (a blue humanoid? And that shade of blue?)... and dear god, was that shade of _pink_ his _natural hair color?!_ , also in a similar position. Clearly, they'd hit each other… and then she saw that the impact had knocked the contents of both their baskets out.

"No! No! My comic books! Ah, no, I can't let them be ruined!" She said in a panicked tone, rushing over to clean up the illustrated books.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Let me help."

She looked over to see the young man gathering some of the comic books, and bringing them over. She took a stack from him, and it didn't take long for the two of them to clean up their messes.

"Uhh, thanks… And I'm sorry for bumping into you like that…" She apologized, dusting herself off and standing up. The young man laughed as he stood up.

"Hey, it's fine! No one got hurt, it was just an accident! It happens!" He said.

"Aye!"

The young girl jumped back, letting out a yelp.

"What the hell?! The cat can talk?!" She screamed, hands raised in a defensive posture.

"Yup! This is Happy! He's a friend of mine!" The young man introduced.

"Aye! It's nice to meet you-ooh, I smell fish!" Happy said, immediately darting off in the direction of the fish scent. She sighed.

"Of course the cat gets distracted by the smell of fish…" She droned.

"Well, he'll be back. So, anyways, who are you?" The young man asked.

"Oh, me? My name's Natalie." She replied.

"I'm Natsu! It's nice to meetcha, Natalie!" Natsu said. She nodded.

"It's nice to meet you too, Natsu." She said. The two continued on walking.

"So, whaddya doin' in Magnolia?" The pink-haired boy asked.

"I'm traveling around… Because I want to be a mage-"

The moment the last word slipped out of her mouth, she covered her mouth.

"Huh? You wanna be a mage?"

Natalie looked at Natsu, embarrassed, but nodded.

"Y-Yea, but I don't know what guild to join or anything like that…" She stuttered, scratching the back of her head.

"What do you think about Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked.

"F-Fairy Tail?! That's the strongest guild in all of Fiore! They have all sorts of powerful and legendary mages amongst their ranks! There's no way I'm strong enough to join them!" She replied in a stuttering rush, as if she were embarrassed or something.

"What makes you so sure of that? Have you even tried joining?" He asked, arms folded. Natalie looked down sheepishly.

"Well…. The truth is… I'm scared." She admitted.

"Scared? Of what?" He asked, confused.

"Being rejected… Being rejected for being too weak." She replied, her tone quiet and admitting. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You won't know until you try, right? You should at least try!" He encouraged. She smiled sadly.

"Thanks… Well, I should get to my hotel room. I'll think about it." She said, before seeing Happy return, paws full of fish.

"Come on, Natsu! If we don't get back-" The cat began.

"Aw, crap! Well, gotta go, later!" Natsu said in a rush, darting off. He ran so fast that he didn't realize his scarf had come off of him. Natalie ran and picked it up.

"Natsu, your scarf-!" She tried, but he was already gone. She sighed.

"I guess I'll have to chase after him… He seems like a crazy guy, but seems nice too." She mused. She then took off after the pinkhead, hoping she wouldn't lose him.


	2. Chapter 2: Mages (Part 1)

Chapter 2: Mages (Part 1)

"Aw, crap! I lost my scarf!" Natsu realized, halfway through a forest path. He began looking around for it-

"Natsu! I think you lost this!"

He turned to see Natalie holding his scarf up, waving it. He smiled.

"Yeah! Thanks for getting it!" He said as she came closer. She handed him the scarf.

"Geez, you should do a better job of keeping track of your stuff-"

Natalie was cut off by the sound of creepy laughter. It made them both tense up.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Natalie demanded. In an instant, an army's worth of cloaked figures jumped out from behind bushes and rocks, and leaped down from trees. Natsu, Natalie, and Happy were soon standing back-to-back.

"Dark mages?" Happy wondered.

"I'd say so. They give off that creepy evil aura." Natsu agreed.

"What do you all want?!" Natalie demanded.

"We seek the Gate…" One of them trailed.

"The Gate? Gate to what-WHOA!"

Natalie barely managed to roll out of the way of a burst of purplish energy. She glared in the direction of the source.

"You will know soon enough… Hehehe…"

She hissed.

"Fine, so that's how it's gonna be! You wanna play rough, I can play rough!" She exclaimed. The enemy just laughed again.

"It's hero time!" She exclaimed, grabbing a key from the ring.

"Open, Gate of the Armored Avenger!"

An elaborate crimson red magic circle appeared underneath her, and she slashed the silver key downwards.

"Iron Man!"

A man wearing red-and-gold armor that completely covered him appeared, landing on the ground. Natsu and Happy stared.

"Whoa, who's that?!" Natsu wondered.

"What kind of magic is that?!" Happy wondered. Natalie smiled.

"He's Iron Man! He's one of my Heroes!" She explained.

" _The one and only! So, what's the situation, Nat?"_ The armor-clad man asked.

"These guys just appeared outta nowhere and attacked us! Please handle it!" Natalie replied, pointing towards the enemy group.

" _Prepare to receive an asskicking by Stark Industries' finest!"_ Iron Man exclaimed. He raised his hand, and a burst of blue energy shot from the glowing repulsor on his palm.

"Cool!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Hehe! He's only getting started!" Natalie said.

" _You bet! I've got plenty for everyone!"_

The Armored Avenger flew upwards a bit, and fired off several more bolts.

"Alright, my turn!" Natsu said excitedly. Natalie turned to look at him, confused. She watched as Natsu gathered fire around his fists, and leapt skywards.

"What the-Don't tell me-!"

"Aye! Natsu's a mage too!" Happy confirmed.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

He slammed his flaming fists into the ground, and a surge of fire swept through, cleaning up some of the enemy. One of the mages shot a burst of fire at Natsu, and it consumed the area.

"Natsu!" Natalie cried out. Happy blocked her.

"Awful. Are you really supposed to be a fire mage?"

Both Natalie and the mage in question stared as they saw Natsu devour the flames.

"I haven't tasted fire this gross in a while."

He finished them off, and rubbed his mouth as if he'd just eaten dinner.

"Thanks for the meal!"

Natalie outright stared in shock at Natsu.

"What kind of magic is that?! He _ate_ the fire!"

"Fire Dragon Slayer Magic!"

Natalie turned to Happy, before turning back to Natsu. When he walked forward a bit, she saw a red mark on her shoulder. The realization hit her.

"He's… Natsu's a Fairy Tail Mage?!" She exclaimed in complete shock.

"Prepare yourself!"

Natsu slammed his fists together, and his own magic circle appeared. Fire gathered around his arms.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

He slammed his arms downward, and the fire surged forward. He took out more enemies, but more appeared in response. He landed by Natalie.

"Damn! It's like for every one of these guys you defeat, there's two more to take his place!" Natsu cursed.

" _Sound familiar, Nat?"_ Iron Man asked. The redhead chuckled.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail Hydra." She joked in a mock German accent. The Armored Avenger and the female mage shared a laugh. Natsu and Happy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Natalie?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go!" She replied. Natsu leapt up again, preparing for round two.

"Hehe, you're mine, girl!"

Natalie turned around, only to find a mage wielding a sword close to her face. Her eyes widened in horror for a moment before she closed them, turning away-

 _CLING!_

She opened them again, to see a scarlet-haired woman in silver armor, using a sword of her own to block the attacker. The woman forced the attacker off with ease, before turning to Natalie and offering a hand.

"Are you alright?" She asked.


	3. Chapter 3: Mages (Part 2)

Chapter 3: Mages (Part 2)

Natalie took her hand, and allowed herself to be pulled up.

"Y-Yea, I'm fine. Who are you?" Natalie asked.

"Erza! What the hell were you thinking, running off like that-huh? Who's this?"

A dark blue-haired man with narrow eyes showed up. Natalie's eyes widened when she heard the name Erza, and saw the man's mark on his chest.

"Wait a minute! First of all, where are your clothes, second, you're a Fairy Tail mage too, and third, Erza, as in the legendary Erza fucking _**TITANIA?!**_ " Natalie demanded in a rush, arms flailing. The swordswoman chuckled.

"Yes, that's me. This is Gray. Who might you be?" Erza explained.

"I-I'm Natalie Rushman! I'm just a mage who happened to meet one of your fellow guildmates-"

"Yo! What's going on-Erza?! Gray?! What the hell are you two doing here?!" Natsu demanded, landing beside them.

"We've been chasing these bastards for a bit, ever since Erza saw them attacking a bar. What about you two?" Gray asked in turn.

"They came after us! Natsu lost his scarf, so I returned it to him, and then they appeared!" Natalie summarized.

" _Uh, hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation, but we've kinda got problems everywhere, and I could use a little backup!"_ Iron Man interjected.

"Right, sorry!" Natalie said. The four immediately returned to the battle mode.

"Ice-Make: Lance!"

Gray sent forth a series of ice spears from a sphere of ice. Natalie sweatdropped.

"Why is the _ice_ mage the one who has practically no clothes on?" She wondered to herself.

"Requip!"

In an instant, Erza switched to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, and summoned a myriad of swords.

"Dance, my swords! Circle Sword!"

She sent them flying, and the attacks took down more. Like before, more appeared.

"Damnit, there's no end to these jackasses!" Gray cursed.

"They're probably teleporting or being summoned in some way. If we can find the source and stop it, we can stop them from calling in reinforcements." Erza concluded.

"Leave that to me!" Natalie exclaimed, pulling another key from her ring.

"Open, Gate of the Crimson Avenger!"

Once again, a magic circle appeared, and she slashed the silver key downwards.

"Black Widow!"

A redheaded woman wearing a skin-tight black bodysuit appeared. She landed on the ground with grace.

" _What's going on here?"_ She asked.

"The enemy's calling in a lot of reinforcements! Find the source and take care of it!" Natalie ordered.

" _Roger. I'll be back."_

The woman leapt off.

"Who's that?" Gray asked.

"She's the Black Widow, a master of infiltration and spying. She'll be able to figure out how they're summoning reinforcements and take care of it." Natalie explained.

"So, you summon spirits of some kind? I've never seen this kind of summoning magic before." Gray said.

"That's because they're Heroes of the Marvel Multiverse! I can summon them with the Multiverse Keys!" Natalie explained.

"Heroes? Like from stories? Interesting. The one in the armor over there seems to be quite strong." Erza commented. Natalie looked over to Iron Man.

"Yea, but he seems like he needs a hand. Luckily, I've got more Heroes on-call!"

Natalie pulled another key from her ring.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Archer!"

Her summoning style was repeated.

"Hawkeye!"

A man with blond hair and brown-green eyes, wearing a sleeveless uniform with a quiver around his back and a recurve bow in his hand appeared.

" _Ohh, looks like a party! This is gonna be fun-hey, where's Tasha?"_ He questioned. Natalie sweatdropped again.

"I sent her to handle something else. Help Stark out!" She explained.

" _Anything to teach that egotist a lesson… and make him pay for calling me Katniss!"_ The archer replied, leaping into a nearby tree. Natalie facepalmed.

"Are they always like that?" Gray asked.

"They're friends and part of the same team, but Iron Man has an ego and quite the personality, so things like this happen…" She explained, droning.

"Sometimes friends fight. Still, they work well together and get along, so it's not a problem." Erza summarized. Iron Man continued blasting away with the various weapons in his armor, and Hawkeye shot all kinds of arrows. Natsu, Gray, and Erza joined in. Elemental energy was flying throughout the area, from both the trio and Natalie's Heroes. Soon, an explosion was heard off in the distance, and Black Widow returned.

" _They were using a portal. I destroyed it."_ She explained. Natalie nodded, starting to pant. The redhead got closer, concerned.

" _Natalie…"_

"Help them. The faster we can end this, the better." The mage ordered. Black Widow nodded, and leapt into the fray.

Sparks flew as steel met steel. Flames danced from Hawkeye's Flame Arrow and Natsu's magic. Ice skirted through the area from Hawkeye's Freeze Arrow and Gray's magic. Explosions occurred as Iron Man used his weaponry. Natalie could feel herself being drained, but fortunately, the powerful combination ended the battle quickly.

"Geez, there sure as hell were a lot of them, even after that spy woman took out the portal." Gray said bluntly.

"They weren't even remotely a problem! We took 'em down easy!" Natsu said, in a carefree tone.

"Still, we don't know anything about their motives." Erza pointed out.

"So this was all for nothing, really. What a pain in the ass-oi!" Gray said, cutting himself off.

The trio turned to see Natalie collapsing. They ran towards her, with Erza managing to catch her. Natalie was panting heavily.

"Are you alright?! Pull yourself together!" The requip mage exclaimed.

"I'm… I'm fine…" Natalie panted. She pushed herself into a standing position, and walked a few steps, but soon, her knees gave way, and she was once again caught by Erza.

"Like hell you're okay! You're exhausted!" Erza snapped.

"I swear… I-"

"You're in no condition to go anywhere alone! You'll get your ass handed to you if you get attacked again!" Gray pointed out.

"But I-WHOA! What the hell are you doing?!" Natalie exclaimed as Erza slung the young mage over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"You're coming with us." She stated. It wasn't a question.

"C-coming?! Where are you taking me?!" Natalie asked, panicking.

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to Fairy Tail!" Natsu replied. Natalie's eyes widened in response.


	4. Chapter 4: Fairy Tail

Chapter 4: Fairy Tail

Natalie couldn't believe her ears. They were going to bring her to their guild?! She was just a comic book nerd who happened to have magic-

"Don't you dare put yourself down." Erza ordered. Natalie looked to her-could the woman read her mind or something?!

"Natsu told me everything, and I saw what you did. You summoned three of your Heroes, and you knew exactly what to tell them to do so we could win. From what I can tell, it was your first real battle, and you did well."

Natalie's expression became one of awe and wonder. How was this woman the terrifying Queen of Fairies? What was this… compassion she was sharing? And with a stranger, at that?

"You're strong as you are, and I know you'll get stronger. So don't you _dare_ say that you're not strong enough. Besides, the individual strength of each person isn't what we really care about at Fairy Tail."

What? Strength wasn't the focus of the guild? How could that be? They were the strongest guild in Fiore!

"We care about friends and family. The bonds we all share. Even past enemies can become friends. It isn't about raw power within someone. It's about the power that we share together, as a guild."

The young woman smiled a bit.

"Friends, huh? It makes me wonder what kind of place Fairy Tail is." She muttered. No time remained for her question, as soon enough…

"WE'RE BACK!"

Natsu kicked open the door, and everyone inside looked.

"Welcome back!"

"Welcome home!"

A chorus of cheerful greetings could be heard throughout the hall. Natalie, who was watching it all, raised an eyebrow.

 _There are this many people in Fairy Tail? It's a lot…_

"Oi, Titania. Who's that you've got slung over your shoulder?"

She looked to see a man with black hair, red eyes, and large amounts of metal on his body standing in front of them. Good God, what kind of magic did he use? It must be themed around metal somehow…

"Oh, this is Natalie. She helped us fight off some dark mages. She's strong, but she exhausted herself, so we brought her back here." Erza explained.

"More like you just slung me over your shoulder with no regard as to whether or not I had any injuries, and Natsu and Gray were just too scared to tell you any different!" Natalie muttered to herself.

"So, she's a mage, huh? What kind of magic do ya use?" He asked.

"Don't you think it's a bit rude to ask something that specific without even telling me your name? And for that matter, Erza-san, with all due respect, can you please put me down on a bench?! This is getting really uncomfortable!" Natalie snapped.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry."

The scarlet-haired mage set Natalie down on one of the many benches. The young mage breathed a sigh of relief.

"That armor sure is hard..." She trailed.

"That aside, I'm Gajeel. Now answer my question, lady!" Gajeel demanded. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Alright, fine. I summon Heroes from the Marvel Multiverse using Multiverse keys." She replied.

"Heroes? Like from stories?"

A blue-haired young girl had been the one to ask the question.

"Kinda. They're superheroes from the Marvel Comic Books. I don't have all of them yet, but I'm working on it." Natalie corrected.

"Comic books, huh? I haven't really read many of those. Oh, I'm Levy, by the way." Levy said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you, Levy. I'm Natalie." Natalie introduced.

"Oh, a newcomer? I'm sorry for not noticing you earlier!"

Natalie looked up to see a white-haired woman smiling at her.

"Yea, I'm new. Erza-san brought me in here... quite literally at that!" Natalie said.

"Superheroes? That sounds cool! Can I see one?"

"Wendy, she's exhausted! She doesn't have the strength!"

"You're forgetting Wendy can restore her strength."

Natalie's eyes widened a bit at Wendy.

"If I restore your strength, could you show me one?" Wendy asked.

"I'd like to see one too!" Levy added. Natalie waved her hands down.

"Okay, okay! Once Wendy's restored my strength, I'll summon one for you... but we'll take it outside!" She promised. The two mages who had requested it smiled and clapped hands with each other. The majority of the small crowd that had gathered around Natalie then dispersed, with only Erza, Mirajane, Wendy, and Levy remaining. Wendy got to work restoring Natalie's magic.

"So, what brings you here to Fairy Tail?" Mirajane asked.

"Well, more like who brought me here, and that was Erza!" Natalie joked. The four other mages laughed a bit.

"Good one. But I think you know what she meant." Erza said.

"Yea, I do. You want to know why I want to be a guild mage. Well, as you can imagine, my Heroes are unique to me, but they're scattered throughout the world, and they're quite powerful. Since my magic created them, it's my job to collect them before someone can use some dark magic or whatever to control them and... well, you can guess the rest." Natalie said.

"So you want to get your friends back... that's pretty admirable. But just how many are there?" Erza asked. Natalie sighed.

"I have the primary Avengers right now... but there are other Avengers, plus the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men... not to mention Heroes who aren't affiliated with any of the major three teams..." She trailed, counting things off on her fingers.

"Sounds like a lot. You certainly have your work cut out for you, don't you?" Mirajane asked.

"Tell me about it... not to mention that I don't have a clue where any of the others are..." Natalie replied, leaning back.

"And... there! You should have a good deal of your power back!" Wendy said, standing up. The Hero mage stood up and moved her arm a bit.

"Thanks, Wendy. Well, no use in putting it off, I suppose... come on, you two, I'll introduce you to an Avenger!" Natalie said, smiling towards the end. She led Wendy and Levy out towards the garden in the back.


	5. Chapter 5: The True Beginning

Chapter 5: The True Beginning

Natalie walked outside, Levy, Wendy, and Charla following behind, eager smiles on their faces. They arrived in the large garden out back, and Natalie took a deep breath. The garden smelled so fresh and wonderful. Being a member of Fairy Tail was going to be great.

"You seem happy, Natalie-san." Wendy said. Natalie nodded.

"It's nice out here. How could I not be happy?" The Hero mage replied.

"Well, you promised to show us one of your Heroes. Who are you going to introduce to us?" Charla asked. Natalie pulled a key off of her ring.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Archer! Hawkeye!"

Through her magic, Hawkeye once again appeared.

" _There isn't a fight, so what's going on?"_ The archer asked.

"Wendy and Levy here wanted to see a bit of my magic, so I decided you were perfect for the occasion." Natalie explained. Hawkeye then spotted the two young girls, and smiled.

" _Hey there! I'm Hawkeye. Pleasure to meet you!"_ He greeted.

"It's nice to meet you, Hawkeye-san!" Wendy greeted in turn, shaking hands with the archer.

"So, what can he do?" Levy asked.

"He uses Trick Arrows, which are exactly what they sound like-arrows that can range from basic arrows to ones that can freeze and stun people!" Natalie explained.

"That's kinda interesting…" The Solid Script mage trailed.

"He doesn't consume too much magic either, so he'll show you guys a few of his moves and then head back home to the Multiverse with little cost to my stamina." The Hero mage added.

" _Hehe! Alright, here goes! Freeze Arrow!"_

Hawkeye strung up a blue arrow, and loosed it. It struck a tree, and froze it solid.

"Wow!" Wendy exclaimed.

" _Alright, one more for you two, and then I'm heading back. Shock Arrow!"_

He then strung up a yellow-gold arrow, and fired it. It struck another tree, and lightning arced all across the tree. One could imagine what would happen if that arrow struck a moving enemy.

"So, he uses arrows with a variety of combat effects, and he doesn't take a big toll on your stamina. He's quite versatile, I'll admit." Charla concluded.

" _Alright, thanks for a bit of fun! Gonna head back… I have a romantic night planned for a certain lucky lady, hehe."_ Hawkeye said, disappearing in a flash of golden-red light. Natalie hung her head.

"God, Hawkeye… Besides being an Avenger, she's the only thing on your mind…" She muttered, droning.

"It would seem that your Heroes are… well, interesting, I guess…" Levy said nervously.

"You get used to some of their antics after a while…." Natalie admitted.

"Well, all's well that ends well. We should get back inside." Charla said. Wendy nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure Mira-san wants to give you your mark!" Wendy added. The trio and cat headed back inside, and sure enough, Mirajane was waiting, stamp in hand, smiling.

"Did you three have fun?" She asked.

"Yea! She summoned a man named Hawkeye, and he uses all different kinds of arrows!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Hawkeye's Gate doesn't consume a lot of power, but his powers are still flashy enough to impress some. I figured he was perfect for a little bit of a show." Natalie explained.

"Well, nice to see you're getting along with everyone! Now, it's time that you got your guild mark!" Mirajane chirped. Natalie nodded, and the two walked behind the bar. Natalie took off her vest and shirt, and pointed to her right shoulder. With a bit of pressure, the mark appeared, the same red as the Avengers title with a silver border around it. Natalie redressed herself, and the pair walked back out.

"So, you're official now?" Gray asked. The Hero mage nodded, and smiles surrounded her. She couldn't resist smiling herself. Natalie sat down at the bar, and stretched.

"Well, part one of that is settled… Now I'll have to decide where to live, and then just see what happens from there!" She muttered to herself.

"We do have a dorm here for our female mages." Erza pointed out. Natalie looked at Erza, startled for a moment, before smiling again.

"I see… Then I guess I'll just have to take advantage of that then. One less thing to worry about-there's no telling where in Earthland the other Heroes are." She said, relieved.

* * *

"This is your room. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Erza-san."

The Requip mage left Natalie to her own devices. The latter immediately began to unpack, putting her prized comic books away on the bookshelves in her room, food and drink away in the kitchen, and everything else where it belonged. She then stripped faster than Gray, and flopped on the bed.

"Ahhh.. I think I'll sleep and worry about work tomorrow…"

She slipped into a deep slumber, cocooning herself in a matter of seconds.

* * *

"There's no mistaking it, milady. She is one of the Gates."

A cloaked woman sat on a dark throne, in a dark room. It was night, so practically all features were obscured. She was leaning her head on her fist, and her legs were crossed in a defiant posture.

"Hehehe… Just like Delphi predicted. I'll be damned, that little kid can use the Mind Stone _incredibly_ well."

"Your orders, milady?"

"For now, we watch her grow and become stronger. Encourage it. She must be strong enough to handle the incredible power in time for the Day of Convergence…"

"As you wish, milady."

The room was cleared in an instant, leaving the woman all alone on her throne. She smirked devilishly.

"Everything is falling into place, just like I planned. Like a game of chess between a grandmaster and a novice."

A blood red eye opened, and her smirk grew.

"Not even _you_ can stop me now, Fernandes! Hahahahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"


	6. Chapter 6: The First Job

Chapter 6: The First Job

Natalie walked into the guild hall, seeing it was bustling and very much alive. She sighed contently.

"I guess I should expect no less from a guild that's home to a human torch, an ice stripper, and a woman who can strike the fear of God into her guildmates just by speaking… Huh? Who's that?"

A young man walked in, wearing clothes Natalie couldn't even really begin to make sense of… What the hell? Was his hair _naturally_ that shade of blue? And what was with that mark on his face? Was it a tattoo? A scar? A birthmark? A brand? What did it mean-

"Hm? Are you new here?"

She blinked. Damnit, she'd got so caught up in thinking about his facemark-thing that she didn't notice him coming closer!

"U-Uh, yeah. I just joined yesterday…."

She turned her head.

"After Erza slung me over her shoulder and carried me here like a sack of potatoes, that is!" She muttered harshly. Her stomach still felt a bit sore from that-she had a right to be a little bit bitter! So what if the woman technically saved her life- _it fucking hurt-_

The man chuckled softly.

"That sounds like something Erza would do. Let me guess-you were exhausted after a battle?"

Natalie raised an eyebrow.

"Y-yeah, but how did you know? And for that matter, you act like you're her boyfriend or something!"

The man flushed bright red.

"W-We're childhood friends… T-That's all…"

Natalie grinned evilly.

"Oh _really_ now? You know, mister, you _suck_ at lying. You _liiiike_ her!"

"S-Shut up!"

"Hahaha! Denial never helps!"

"Jellal, what's going on-Natalie?"

Both of them turned to see Erza standing there. Natalie blinked.

"Jellal… HEEEEEEEEE?!"

Both of them blinked at the screeching sound she made.

"You can't mean the same Jellal that was the crazy guy behind the whole Tower thing, can you?!"

Jellal hung his head, and a dark aura surrounded him.

"Not even two seconds, and she's already aware of the sins I committed-"

 _WHACK!_

The blue-haired mage let out a high-pitched whimper as he was kicked… right where it counts.

"Don't you even _start_ on that angsting crap again, you hear me?!"

He nodded, going fetal.

"Y-yes ma'am…" He whined in a voice that was well above the normal range for a man.

"Natalie!"

Natalie tensed. She'd almost made it away, damnit!

"Don't you ever insult Jellal's efforts to atone for what he did under whatever evil influence possessed him during that time again, understand?"

Erza was glaring daggers at the Hero mage. She nodded, and darted away.

"You don't have to constantly defend me, Erza. She has every right to be uncertain about me."

"Jellal, what did I say about angsting…"

He sighed.

"Sorry, Erza. It's… Well, it's hard to simply let go of what I did in the past-OW!"

Poor Jellal soon found himself pulled into a bone-crushing hug… right against the hard breastplate of Erza's armor. Natalie, who had made her way to the request board, chuckled.

"Who knew that the legendary Titania's boyfriend was an overly-depressed former criminal?" She mused, turning towards the large board.

"Hmm… Dispel the curse on a pendant… recover a lost artifact… Escort someone to another town… Ah, there's a good one!"

She took down a paper that had a 2,000,000 Jewel reward for clearing monsters out of a forest.

"I'd like to take this job, please." Natalie said, presenting the paper to Mirajane. She looked at it.

"Okay. This job's outside of Sidon Village. It's to the west of Magnolia, about a 2-hour train ride." Mirajane said, taking the paper. Natalie nodded, and began to leave-

"You can't go out there alone."

She turned to see Jellal standing there, with Erza next to him. She scoffed.

"Why not? It's just some monsters. I may not be the strongest mage in the world, but I can certainly handle some monsters, for heaven's sake!" She insisted.

"There's rumors of powerful dark mages calling that area home. If you're going to insist on going out there, at least take Erza and I with you." He insisted in turn. Natalie grumbled.

"Fine. But no angsting. If you do, I'll have Hawkeye shoot you in the ass or something." She relented. Jellal chuckled.

"Fair enough."

* * *

"So, Jellal, right?"

The Heavenly Body mage turned to face Natalie.

"Yes. What is it?"

"Care to tell me more about these dark mages you mentioned back at the guild?" She demanded, crossing her legs defiantly.

"I don't know every detail, but Erza and I encountered a small portion of them a while back. They claimed they were part of a guild called 'Noctre Aeternam', and were assaulting a town, claiming they were looking for some sort of 'Gate'."

Natalie shifted back.

"You can't mean-"

"It's exactly as you suspect, Natalie."

Jellal looked at the two, confused.

"The dark mages we engaged before you joined Fairy Tail likely belonged to Noctre Aeternam' as well. They seem to have quite a few mages amongst their ranks. We have no idea how massive they truly are, or what their endgame is." Erza confirmed.

Natalie looked down.

"I wonder what they want with the 'Gate' they keep on rambling about. It's obviously really important to their plans…. Whatever those are."

Jellal narrowed his gaze.

"They're even more widespread than I thought… And they're quite knowledgeable. They knew who I was… Even down to my escape from prison, time with Meredy and Ultear… They even knew my childhood. I have a bad feeling that this an enemy that knows a lot about all of us."

"So the idiots we've been facing are likely the lowest level of the food chain. The actual problem hasn't been revealed. The guild master isn't playing his full hand yet, which means he's really smart. I can see why you were making such a fuss earlier, Jellal." Natalie admitted.

"We won't interfere too much with the monster hunting. You're strong enough to handle a group of monsters on your own. Jellal and I are going to focus on investigating the area for signs of Noctre Aeternam activity." Erza said.

"I'll still keep an eye out anyways. Good luck." Natalie said, disembarking. The group split, Natalie heading towards her job, Erza and Jellal heading off to begin their investigation.


	7. Chapter 7: Dark Side

Chapter 7: Dark Side

"Tch… There's practically nothing here… These bastards are good at covering their tracks, I'll give them that…"

"Are you Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail?"

Erza turned to see a figure clad in an excessive amount of black armor, with a black cape.

"I am… Why do you ask? And for that matter, who are you-AGH!"

In an instant, Erza found herself blown back into a wall, and felt the sensation of someone choking her, despite no one touching her. She looked down to see the armor-clad figure holding his hand up in a choking motion.

"Force Choke. A move of mine. My magic wraps around your throat, and at my whim, I can crush your windpipe, Fairy Queen."

Erza scowled at him, and surged her own magic, breaking the hold. She collapsed on her knees, panting, before standing back up.

"Hm. I should expect no less from the Queen of Fairies. You have incredible raw magic power… Such limitless potential… That lives up to the rumors. I suppose you are a worthy opponent…"

He drew a strange silver object from his side. In an instant, a glowing red blade shot forth from one end, making it an energy sword of sorts.

"My name is Sith Lord Shadow, Master of the Dark Force."

"Sith Lord Shadow… Are you a member of Noctre Aeternam?!"

He nodded.

"You are correct. I am one of the Dark Commanders of Noctre Aeternam's forces."

"Dark Commanders… So Noctre Aeternam is a large guild after all…"

"Quite large, indeed. But those who are weak are naturally drawn to those who are strong, those who can protect. Now, Fairy Queen… shall we test your strength?"

Erza quickly shifted into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and called forth a sword, grabbing it. She knew this man meant business, and if she knew dark guilds, she knew that he would likely attempt to kill her.

The two leapt at each other, enchanted steel meeting with crimson light. They pressed against each other, before backing off. They leapt up again, trading blow after blow. She slashed at his shoulder, chipping off part of his armor. He managed to get a good slash on her arm, and she felt a burn accompany the attack.

"It burns too?! What kind of magic sword is that?!" She muttered.

"This is not just another magic sword, Lady Titania. It is a Lightsaber-a Crimson Lightsaber, to be specific. It can only be wielded by those who practice Force Magic, such as myself, and such magic is not child's play to master and command." Lord Shadow explained.

"Force Magic? Lightsabers? I've never even heard of those before…"

"That is not surprising. Force Magic, and by extent, Lightsabers, are not easy arts to master. As such, only a select few dare try to pursue it, and even fewer manage to master it."

"It's a type of Lost Magic."

The two turned to see Jellal standing there.

"Ah…. Jellal Fernandes, former master of the Tower of Heaven, now a member of Fairy Tail, who has thrown everything into atoning for his sins. The true you is an honorable man. Am I correct in assuming you learned about Force Magic during your time when you were travelling all over Earthland, pouring all you had into dismembering whatever dark guild you could find and defeating any dark mages you could get your hands on?"

Jellal's glare was cold and unrelenting.

"You are correct. I heard rumors of it, and became intrigued by it. I couldn't believe there was a Magic type in existence whose effects varied on whether or not its wielder was on the 'Dark Side' or the 'Light Side'. But Magic is a thing that varies as much as night and day, and I soon realized Force Magic was very real-I encountered a woman who called herself Jedi Master Caterina."

"Yes… Trainees of the Light Side often call themselves Padawans, and masters refer to themselves as Jedi Masters. They're usually very reclusive, almost never intervening in the outside world."

"Ah. She gave me some cryptic words, and then left…. And I believe that she was attempting to warn me about you."

"Hmph. Perhaps. But words alone will never be enough to defeat a Sith Lord. Come!"

Erza and Jellal simultaneously charged him. He blocked Erza's sword with his Lightsaber, and Jellal's attempt to punch him was stopped by a black-armored fist. The mages backed off.

 _Erza, can you draw his attention?_

 _It would be easy enough, but why?_

 _If you can draw his attention, he'll focus on you, and there won't be any time left for him to think about me. Force Magic relies on how much focus you have on an opponent. I'll be able to come in from behind and defeat him._

 _Alright then. Just don't overdo it-we need to get info out of him._

 _Of course, Erza._

In an instant, Erza switched to her Flame Empress Armor, and called forth the associated sword, as well as the sword associated with her Black Wing Armor. She then swung the Flame Sword in a semicircle, sending a burst of fire at the armor-clad man. He brushed the flames aside with a slash of his hand, only to come face-to-face with Erza. He blocked her blade with his Lightsaber.

"You truly are a good swordswoman, Titania. It's rare to find someone who can wield so many different armors and blades with such tactical genius. It's rather refreshing, and truly a great honor."

She leapt back, and the two began exchanging blows at unimaginable speeds.

"You say all of that, but you're a Dark Mage! How can you be spouting all of that while being a Dark Mage?!"

"The world is not black and white, Titania. It is full of grey. There is not always a clear line."

"How in the hell is that supposed to be an answer?!"

"You're still young-"

 _ **WHAM!**_

In an instant, Jellal slammed a magic-enhanced fist into the Sith Lord's chest, using the speed built up from a Meteor to add tremendous force to the impact. The Sith Lord's body went skidding across the ground.

"Such clever tactics… It's a shame that we're not going to be able to finish our battle today."

Purplish light enveloped his body.

"Wait!"

Erza ran forward, but the man vanished.

" _We will settle this another day, Queen of Fairies!"_

Erza scowled and hissed.

"Coward… teleporting away like that! I'll kick his ass!" She vowed.


End file.
